BRONZE: COMMENTARY AND TRANSLATION

by Serenade (wish4wings@yahoo.com)

Updated 23 September 1998

Latest version can be found at http://www.virtue.nu/mirageknight/bronze/

BOOK 1

Well, I can't say I'm too fond of the cover art. The image is almost a 
solid block of colour, and the face (pupiless and violet-shadowed) is 
creepy. The black tangle of hair reminds me of some beast-woman. It's 
harsher than the elegantly stylised lines and stark blood-on-white colours 
of Zetsuai 1989. The only BRONZE cover I really like so far is Volume 3's. 
Still, the presentation is very nice - Tong Li has kept the matt dustjacket 
and gold-lettered title used for the Zetsuai manga.

ACT 1

Act 1 opens with Koji in a clinch with an attractive woman. She turns out 
to be one of the staff working with him on the photo shoot he's doing. He's 
wearing a military uniform (not bad!) with Nazi regalia (hmm). They're 
interrupted by Koji's agent, Toshiyuki, who becomes distressed by Koji's 
behaviour ("You're even making passes at the hairstylist!").

As Koji takes up various poses for the photographers, he thinks back on 
recent events. <Last night, he came down with a fever again...>

The story flashes back to the previous day, where Izumi is on the soccer 
field, doing what he does best. (Why is it that I can't picture him at, 
say, a video arcade?). This segues into a sequence at the apartment Koji 
and Izumi share. Izumi is vigorously denying that he's unwell, but Koji 
won't accept his protestations.

Izumi:	Haven't I told you that my body temperature is a bit higher than 
	normal people's? [Could this be connected with his fiery nature?]
Koji:	Do you call 38.2 degrees 'a bit higher'?!
Izumi:	I'm telling you, it's nothing! It'll be gone by tomorrow morning.
Koji:	No way!

Izumi admits that he's kind of hungry (he looks so cute peering out from 
under the blanket!), and Koji immediately rushes off to fix him something 
to eat. He's never been near a kitchen before, though. (Come to think of 
it, did he do any cooking in Zetsuai? I can only remember Izumi ever 
preparing meals.)

Well, following the time-honoured comedic tradition, you expect him to 
burn the food. I'm not sure exactly what it is he ends up bringing to 
Izumi. But while he's serving the meal...

Izumi:	What happened to your hair?!

He grabs hold of a mass of shrivelled ends, while Koji goes 'ow!'

Koji:	Nothing! It was my first time using a gas stove, so...
Izumi:	You're hopeless... How could you burn your hair like that?
Koji:	Never mind, it's no big deal. It'll grow back quickly.

Izumi is still holding Koji's hair in his fingers, looking at it wistfully.

Izumi:	Why do you grow your hair so long?
Koji:	I... I have my reasons.
Izumi:	Reasons? What reasons?
Koji:	I don't want to say...
Izumi:	Why not?
Koji:	Because it's kind of sissyish.
Izumi:	(grabbing Koji's shirt) Tell me!
Koji:	Because I made a pledge before God.
	A classmate of mine in primary school told me that this was a 
	way of making a wish come true.
	I swore that until my wish came true, I would never cut my hair!

There is a flashback to a young Koji, waiting desolately at the soccer 
field for another glimpse of young Izumi, who never appeared there again. 
<Izumi! I will find you someday!>

(My heart ached when I realised just what his precious wish was. Poor Koji!)

The next day, they meet Serika at the soccer match.

Ser:	Nanjo! You cut your hair! Why?

He's had the burnt ends trimmed off, though it still falls past his 
shoulders.

Koji:	Does it look bad?
Ser:	Not at all! It's very stylish.

Koji smiles dazzlingly.

Koji:	Serika, you look very cute too.

Serika goes all faint at having that megawatt smile focused on her. Izumi 
has to support her while Koji, looking abashed, says, "I didn't mean to..."

Izumi:	You didn't get into trouble with the company, did you?
	For cutting your hair?
Koji:	No, of course not. What about you? Have you recovered yet?
Izumi:	See for yourself! I'm here training hard again, aren't I?
	I told you, a good night's sleep would take care of everything.
Koji:	That's a relief!

Then Izumi's coach shows up.

Coach:	Izumi!
Izumi:	Coach!
Coach:	You're doing very well! Even the opposing team's coaches are
	praising you! I hear that some people from the soccer association 
	are coming to watch you play at the next match. Keep on doing your
	best!
Izumi:	I will!
Ser:	Takuto! When you go to Italy, don't forget to bring back presents!
Izumi:	Silly goose. I don't know yet if I'll even get to go.

Koji looks troubled and sad at this.

Izumi:	Oh yeah... Koji! What time do you finish work today?
Koji:	About ten. Why?
Izumi:	I don't have to go to work tonight. The place is shutting down
	temporarily. So I thought I'd cook something special for you to
	try tonight. Something strange.

This is a reference to Koji's cooking disaster. Izumi runs off laughing, 
while Koji looks annoyed at this dig, and Serika asks, puzzled, "Something 
strange?"

Koji watches Izumi playing on the soccer field, admiring his strength and 
beauty, but thinking about how he mustn't do anything to hurt him ever 
again.

Koji thinks: <Oh God! Please, let me be the only one who suffers this pain!>

The scene cuts to Koji drowning his sorrows in a bar. He's with one of the
women on his staff - Aya the designer.

Aya:	Koji. You've had too much to drink.
Koji:	Ngh...
Aya:	You should go home. Don't you have to get up early for work 
	tomorrow?
Koji:	Let me stay over, please? Aya!
Aya:	Before, you were all over the hairstylist; now you're chasing the
	designer? You're not even getting through the door.
	Go home. I'll drop you off.
Koji:	I'm not going...
Aya:	What?
Koji:	I can't... go back there...

Koji thinks: <In the past month, I haven't touched him at all, or even said 
"I love you". That's why he's been so relaxed around me.>

But Koji's self-restraint is clearly taking its toll on him, as he 
struggles with his repressed longing for Izumi.

Meanwhile, Izumi is waiting for Koji to come home. ("Why is he so late?") 
The clock is showing midnight. Their dinner is on the table, untouched. 
Finally Izumi stretches out on the couch and falls asleep. 

It's very late by the time Koji slips back. (He'd ended up finding female 
companionship after all.) He sees Izumi on the couch, tossing in the 
throes of some nightmare. The words he is calling in his sleep make Koji 
realise he is dreaming about the time Koji tried to force himself on him. 
Night after night, Izumi has been haunted by the same dreams. Koji is 
wracked with guilt at Izumi's obvious suffering. He promises the oblivious 
Izumi that he'll never touch him again, and pleads for him to stop crying.

The next morning, Izumi wakes up to find Koji asleep against the side of 
the couch. 

Izumi:	Koji! Hey, Koji!
Koji:	Ngh... Is it morning? I'm back...
Izumi:	Your breath stinks of alcohol! Get away!
Koji:	Uh... Sorry!
	I'm really sorry about last night. I had to work late.

He mentions something about eating alone, or eating out [not sure what], 
and enjoying it.

Izumi suddenly turns away and says, "Well, I don't blame you."

Now Koji looks distressed. "I... I'm sorry! Are you mad?" He says something 
about Izumi having prepared dinner and then Koji not showing up.

Izumi:	(back still turned) What can anyone do about it? It's work.
Koji:	(reaching out his hand) Izumi...

Izumi pulls away violently. 

Izumi:	Are you trying to cloud me in the same smell that's clinging to 
	you? The smell of a woman's perfume? You disgust me!

Koji catches hold of Izumi's wrist.

Izumi:	That... hurts...
Koji:	Why? Why are you talking like this?

Koji's thinking: <I didn't intend this to happen! Please, God! I don't want 
to hurt him again!>

Izumi:	Let go of me!

Montage of pictures against a black background, along with a short passage 
(a kinda rough translation follows):

Even if there were a million people in the world who needed me,
even if each of them was willing to die for me,
if the one I loved didn't want me,
I'd rather those million people died!

If the one I loved didn't need me,
what use would I be?
If you are not with me,
I hurt so much I can't breathe!

[Talk about 'desperate love'! ;_;]

Koji:	You're not... jealous... are you?
Izumi:	What? What kind of nonsense are you talking? You crazy bastard.
Koji:	How can you be saying these kinds of things?
	Are you trying to raise my hopes?
Izumi:	Raise your hopes? What do you mean?
Koji:	When you say... these things...

Koji's thinking: <I can't! I mustn't say anything! I mustn't say it!>

Koji:	You make me wonder... whether you...
	<Don't say it!>
	... like me too.

Izumi just stares at him.

Koji:	Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten that I love you?

Izumi clenches his fists.

Izumi:	Is that so? I can't tell at all. Every night when you come home,
	you reek of some woman's perfume!

They end up having a bitter fight. Izumi walks out in a rage, leaving Koji 
to think in despair, <He's probably never coming back.>

Izumi meets with the officials at his school. They tell him that they've 
sent a videotape of one of his matches to the soccer people in Italy, and 
they've already expressed their interest in him. Izumi isn't reacting as 
enthusiastically as the officials expected, however. They suggest that he 
come with them to Italy next week to witness professional soccer with his 
own eyes. Then he might be able to make a decision about his future.

Afterwards, Izumi is working his shift as a waiter at Club D, but his 
thoughts are whirling. <I can go to Italy, and truly devote myself to 
playing soccer! It seems like a dream - I can hardly believe it.>

He detects a familiar scent from a nearby table where two women are 
sitting. He asks, "Excuse me ma'am, that perfume you're wearing..." She 
replies, "Oh, it's called 'Poison'. Do you like it, young man?" Izumi 
says, "Uh, no, sorry to have troubled you..." He beats a hasty retreat, 
thinking, <I really am an idiot.>

One of the other waiters tells Izumi that he can take a break now. Izumi 
goes into the staffroom out the back. He's thinking, <That perfume 
actually doesn't smell too bad... But then why did I feel so disgusted 
before?> He thinks back to Koji's words: <Are you jealous?>

The television in the staffroom is on. The screen shows Koji Nanjo, who is 
about to perform the title song from his new album 'BRONZE'. The lyrics 
include the verse from the montage earlier on:

If the one I loved didn't need me,
what use would I be?
If you are not by my side,
I can't even breathe...

Koji's voice fades into silence. In the studio, the technicians are 
bewildered. "Why isn't any sound coming through?" They realise it's 
because Koji has stopped singing. "Has he forgotten the lyrics? What do 
we do now?"

Koji's thinking, <I can't make the words come out...> Then he says out 
loud, "I've decided not to sing anymore."

Offstage, Toshiyuki nearly has a heart attack. "What is Nanjo doing?!" The 
director yells for them to cut to a commercial break, but Shibuya counters 
him. He seems to want to let Koji say his piece.

And Koji does. "I want to be with him, I want to share his life. If I give 
up my singing, maybe it will touch his heart.

"No matter how much I sing, I can't find a way of letting him know how I 
feel about him. So why not stop singing?

"Maybe someday he will decide he needs me after all..."

[Note: spoken pronouns are gender neutral in Chinese. Hence Koji's words 
would not indicate to a listener whether the subject was male or female.]

Then they cut to a commercial break. Lots of viewers are flooding the 
switchboard with calls, so Shibuya says that after the break, they should 
make an announcement explaining how Koji's message was just part of a new 
song.

Izumi has seen and heard all this on tv. While the conversation around him 
is buzzing with discussion of this 'new song' ("I thought it was real! It 
shocked me for a minute!"), he is standing in silent thought. <It hurts... 
My heart is aching. Koji...>

Then Shibuya shows up. "Long time no see! How've you been?" He asks if 
Izumi can step outside for a few minutes. They have a long conversation.

Then Izumi returns home, thinking about all the things they've discussed. 
On entering, his foot knocks into an empty wine bottle. Koji's lying on 
the bed, his face buried in his arms.

Izumi:	I can't stand it anymore! You've gone and gotten drunk again.

Koji raises his head. Izumi is sitting on the edge on the bed, facing away 
from him.

Izumi:	You should cut down on smoking, drinking, and chasing women.
	Otherwise your health will suffer.

Koji suddenly wraps his arms around Izumi in a tight embrace.

Koji:	Izumi! I thought for sure this time you wouldn't come back.
	Izumi... Izumi...
Izumi:	Koji... Do you really love me?

Koji releases him. They look at each other.

Izumi:	Do you still want to hold me, even now?
Koji:	You saw what happened on tv, didn't you? So you came to offer me
	sympathy.

Izumi is angered by this suggestion. "Have some more respect for me! Do 
you think that just because I feel some sympathy, I'll let another guy 
touch me?"

Izumi says something about what he's been enduring recently, and Koji 
embraces him again. "Izumi! I love you! I don't know what to do. I can't 
help myself. I don't want to hurt you, but I don't want to be separated 
from you either! I can't stop being in love with you!"

Izumi's expression seems kind of sad and distant.

Izumi:	I... really like your songs.
	Please tell me something...

The following sequence by Izumi is a good example of Minami Ozaki's 
trademark intercutting of speech and thought. It's an effective technique, 
but it makes translation difficult!

<What can I do? This man has devoted his entire being to loving me, and I 
howl at the sky that I alone can save him!>

"Is there a kind of love where you want to totally possess the other 
person? Where even if they plead and beg, you still pursue them, to 
possess them by force?"

<But if I just pretend to like him back, won't that hurt him even more? 
And it would be a despicable thing to do.>

<People are always thinking about themselves! They don't want to lose!>

"Even if it will destroy everything you cherish?"

<Koji... Why do you gaze at me with that look in your eyes?>

<Koji, are you crying?>

They finally fall asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, Koji wakes up to find breakfast left for him on the 
table, along with a note:

"Last night, there was something I didn't tell you. I'm leaving for Italy 
today. I'll be staying there for a week, watching soccer tournaments. I 
want to see real soccer with my own eyes, and test my own skill. I knew 
you wouldn't want me to go, so that's why I didn't say anything. I'll be 
back soon..."

Koji becomes extremely agitated by this news. He swings onto his motorbike 
and roars off to the airport, hoping to catch Izumi. He's thinking, <Why? 
Why did you have to leave so suddenly?>

<A week? Seven days? Even one minute is too long! I don't want to be apart 
from you for even a second!>

<Are you abandoning me? No! You can't! Please don't go!>

<Your scent still lingers. I won't be separated from you!>

[My own thoughts are, "Come on! He's only going away for a week!"]

<If I can express my feelings through my heart, then I don't need a body!>

<Nor do I need speech!>

<Eyes, ears, hands, feet... I don't need any of these!>

And we see, in slow-mo, the bike skidding towards a car, travelling too 
fast to stop.

<If only our spirits could communicate, no matter how far apart we were...>

They collide - the bike is thrown into the air - 

<But who would ever believe in that kind of nonsense?>

- and Koji lands hard on the concrete, to lie motionless, covered in blood.

<Someone, please, put an end to my life!>

<Please come and kill me now!>

END OF ACT 1

THE REST OF BOOK 1 TO BE CONTINUED...

Whew! All this, and I've barely reached the starting point of the OVA! 
This is turning into more translation than commentary. It's amazing how 
many hours can be swallowed up working on this. 'The Project That Ate My 
Life.' Hmm. I think I might be getting bogged down in the details. I'll 
have to pull back a bit if I want to get through the rest of BRONZE. There 
are at least nine volumes in all, and I'm only halfway through the first 
one!

- Serenade